Box construction.



I. A. LAFORE.

BOX CONSTRUCTION: APPLICATION r ms snmsqem.

Patented Apr. 113, 1915.

INVENTOR lfl/ ATTORNEY .r': mamas PEThKS 60.. PHOTO-LITHOH WASHINGIDN. D. c.

JOHN A. LAFOREOE ABDMOBE, ?ENNSYLVA1\TIA.

BDX CONSTRUCTION.

iasaiia.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 19915..

Application filed September 29, 1914. Serial No. 864,013;

To till whom it may concern Be it 'known that I, JOHN A. LAroRE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ardmere, i'n'the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Box Construction, of which the following is a specification. 7

My invention relates to collapsible 0r knock-down boxes of any suitable material, such as cardboard, strawboard, pasteboard, ai r cell board, etc.

It is the object of my invention to provide a box of the character referred to which may bemade ready creased for forming into a box, and which is so additionally creased, besides the creases required at each of the edges of the box, that the blank or box material may be suitably compactly folded for convenience in shipp g. and which shall be capable ofcompact folding, in order to occupy a minimum of space, and yet be ready to be opened up and formed into a box with ease and'speed.

To these ends I have provided a box of the character hereinafter described which -is an embodiment of one of the forms my invention may take.

For an illustration of one of the forms my invention may take reference is to be had in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows the creased, and slotted blank. Fig. 2 shows the same folded up for storage or shipment. Fig. 3 is a perspective view, on small scale, showing the box partially unfolded and partially formed. Fig. 41- is a perspective view, partly in section, showing the box completely formed. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view illustrating air cell board, one of the materials which may be used for the box manufacture.

Referring to Fig. 1, S is a blank or sheet of air cell board, such as shown in Fig. 5, or of any other suitable material scored or creased throughout its length along two parallel lines indicated at a and b, the scores or creases being made from the sameside of the sheet, or at least in such fashion that the material above the line a and below the line b may both be folded up into parallel planes perpendicular to the face of the drawing, theparts above the line a forming the top of the box, and those below the line 72 forming the bottom of the box, both the top and bottom being formed of a plur'alityof flaps or panels folded in. The sheet S is slotted, out or evered at 0, cl, 6, f, and g, it. Between the cuts 0 and e is the end top panel or'fiap 1 attach'e'dto the end panel A along the crease a, between the cuts (Z and fis the hotto'm 'end flap 2 attached to the end face or panel A along the crease between the "cutfg'andthe right hand edge of the sheet S is the end top flap or panel 3 attached to the other end face or panel B of the box along the crease a; and between the cut it and the right hand edge of the sheet S is the end bottom flap or panel 4 attached to the face B along the crease 6. One side C of the box comprises the three blocks'or panels '5, 6 and 7 joined along the crease a to the side top flap D consisting of the three small blocks'or panels 8, 9 and 10, and along the crease b to the side bottom flap E comprising the blocks or panels 11, 12 and 13, the blocks or panels 8, 5 and 11 are joined with the blocks or panels 9, 6 and 12, re spec'tively, at the'score or crease t, while the panels 9, 6 and 12 are joined to the panels 10, 7 and 13, respectively, along the crease er score j, the scores z and jbeing made in opposite sides of the sheet S. And the other side F of the box comprises the side blocks or panels 14, 15 and 16. And the other side top flap G comprises the blocks or panels 17, 18 and 19; and the other side bottom flap H comprises the blocks or panels 20, 21 and 22. The panels 17, 14 and 20 are joined'with the panels 18, 15 and 21, respectively, along the crease 7c, and the panels 18, 15 and 21 are joined with the panels 19, 16 and 22, respectively, along the score or crease m, the scores 70 and m being made in opposite sides of the sheet S, so that, as in the cases of creases z and j, bending or folding may take place in opposite directions. Between the end panel A and the neighbor- 'ing elements 5 and 16 of the sides are the creases n and 0 made in the same side of the sheet S as the scores or creases j, and is. And the end B is joined with the element 14 of the side at the crease or score p made in the same side of the sheet S as creases o and v, j

The left edge of the panel 7 is brought around to the right edge of the panel B and secured to the latter as by a cloth or other hinge or binder g pasted or otherwise secured to -B and 7, the line g indicating the position taken bythe member 9 on the panel 7. 01' two small sheets of half size may be formed as described, in which case onesheet' would be that part to the left of the crease and the other to the right of the crease-0, there being in such case no crease 0, but a complete severance, in which caseaisecondv binder like Q may be applied to members A and 16 toforma corner binding, as indicated by dotted lines 9',

The member 7 having been hinged to member B, as described, the upper, middle iand'lower panelsof each vertical row remaining in the same plane, the twosides of the closed figure may be flattened against eachiother, the end creases or joints being thenjat pon one endand n atthe other end,

" therebeing in effect then two sheets lying 'flat'against each other and joined to each other'at'n and p, one of the sheets comprising'the end A and side F with their attached top and bottom flaps, and the other sheet comprising the end B and the side 0 with their attached top and bottom flaps, theside F having the Scores 70 and m and V v theside 0 having the scores *5 and j. This double sheet may then be foldedup into four parts lying one above the other, in-

' zig-zag' arrangement, as indicated in Fig. 2, and to make this possiblefit willgbe noted I flaps; the panels 5, Band 7, and their top that the panels 14, 15 and 16 are of different widths, as are also their top and bottom and bottom flaps are also of different widths,

- the panels A and B being of equal widths as are their top and bottom flaps, because it is desired that both ends of the box shall be of the same width.

In the collapsed conditionv shown in Fig;

i 2, the boxmay be stored or shippedfand be folded in, and thereafter the bottom flaps 11, 12 and 13 maybe folded in, then the top flaps 17,18 and 19 may befolded in, and finally the flaps, 8, 9 and 10 may be folded in, whereupon the box is completed as shown in Fig. 4.

To any'suitable panel or panels may be attached cords or strings for tying the box in'its closed position. In the example illustrated, the strings 23and 24 are attached to the panels 8 and 10 respectively and are adapted to pass completely or partly around the box and be attached to suitable devices, such as friction disks 25 and 26 on any suitable panel or panels-here shown as upon panels 16 and'l respectively. And it. will be understood that in place of making the box out of a single blank or sheet S, or two smaller. ones, as stated, there may be a com- Qplete severance along any of the vertical scores, creases or slots and suitable tape or other hinges applied. And it will be further understood that while only the sides of the box are shown as having the additional scores is, m and i, j the ends A and B, and their flaps, if necessarily of great width, could also be suitably scored. And it will be further understood that the number of scores in any end or side, and their flaps,

' may be different than herein illustrated, the

principle of my invention being present in any of such cases, so long as the additional 'scorescoiiperate with the regular and usual box creases or slots to form a compact package of backwardly and forwardly disposed layers in zig-zag or other relation.

What I claim is:

1. A box structure comprising a plurality of faces hinged to each other, one or more of said faces being divided into a plurality of panels, a plurality of hinges joining said panels, said neighboring hinges movable in opposite directions, whereby said panels may be folded with respect to each other and with respect to another face of said box.

21A box construction comprising end and side faces hinged to each other, opposite faces each having a flap hinged thereto, each of said opposite faces andits flap being divided by a plurality ofparallel hinges into a plurality ofpanels, whereby said end and'side faces and flaps may be folded in double layer zig-zag relation.

3. A box structure comprising side and end faceshinged to each other, one or more of said faces having a plurality of scores parallel with the hinged joint between said faces dividing said face into a plurality of panels, the outer of said panels folding with respect to their adjacent faces in directions opposite to their folding with respect to an intermediate panel, whereby said panels and adjacent face may be folded in zig-zag relation with respect to each other.

4. A box structure comprising side and end faces hinged to each other, one or more of said faces having a plurality of scores parallel with the hinged joint between said faces dividing said face into a plurality of panels, neighboring scores allowing folding in opposite directions, whereby said panels may be folded with respect to each other and with respect to another face of said box.

5. A box construction comprising end and side faces hinged to each other, opposite side faces divided into at least three panels hinged with respect to each other, whereby said end and side faces may be folded in double layer zig-zag relation with a pair of panels of, a side face embraced by an end face and a panel of the other side face.

6. A'box structure comprising end and side faces hinged to each other, one or more of said faces having a fiap hinged thereto, a face and its flap being divided into a plurelation With respect to each other.

rality of panels by a plurality of parallel In testimony whereof I have hereunto afscores at right angles to the joint between fixed my signature in the presence of the the face and flap, the direction of movement tWo subscribing Witnesses.

at opposite edges of the panels being in op- JOHN A. LAFORE. posite directions, whereby said panels and Witnesses:

the other of said faces may fold in zig-zag NELLIE FIELD,

ALICE S. MARSH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

Washington, D. G. 

